The team of teachers responsible for designing this expedition will start with a deceptively simple question: What do Rwandan young people know about other countries of Africa, about the world and Rwanda’s connections to it, and about America? Personal accounts of young people’s media-generated impressions of the larger world, and any international travel experience will be collected, as well as stories of relatives and friends who have traveled abroad. What is the subjective experience of young Rwandans of the global system? Do Rwandans living abroad contribute to Rwandan development by sending remittances, or would it be better forthe country if they were home? How do impressions of life in rich countries that are generated from television, radio, the internet, and other sources affect young Rwandans’ ideas of prosperity? Are these images accurate or deceiving? From this base of Rwandan material, team members will develop ways for classroom teachers in America to explore with their own students their awareness of the qualities of life in different lands, the accuracy of media representations of life in different places; the benefits and drawbacks of easy international travel, their own international travel experiences or desires, and their understanding of the ways that U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries function while abroad. The theme of youth, media, travel, internationalism, and cultural awareness and sensitivity will play well in American classrooms. It is certainly an element of our overall theme of youth and development because impressions of poverty and prosperity shape aspirations in concrete ways.
